Octopus fishing is once again at the center of the discussion in a new edition of the «Tertúlia do Octopus», which will take place today, Friday, from 17:30 pm, in the Rectory's Seminar Room, on the Gambelas campus of the University of Algarve (Alg).
In the seventh edition of this initiative by the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMar), associated with UAlg – which could also be the last – the guest will be the researcher at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) João Pereira.
He will be the one to set the tone for the discussion, with the presentation «Storm in a glass of water», whose objective is «to review the current knowledge about the biology and behavior of the octopus and how this information is related to the state of octopus fishing ».
This meeting, like the ones that preceded it, serves to bring together entities and personalities linked to this resource and make them think about the future. "These gatherings serve to bring together all the people who are interested in octopus management in the Algarve, to talk about the issues associated with it, identify them and understand what is the best way to manage this resource", summarized the CCMar researcher Mafalda Rangel, who has organized the Tertúlia do Polvo.
At issue is a product "highly valued, which brings an increase in income to fishermen", and which, although it cannot be said that it is scarce, "is subject to great variability, making it difficult to predict the availability of the appeal at certain times of the year'.
For CCMar, this issue, associated with the fact that some fishing communities in the Algarve depend on this resource, justifies not only an in-depth discussion of the management of octopus fishing, but also the institution of a methodology that guarantees the long-term sustainability of the resource. deadline.
It is with this in mind that the concept of the Green Paper on Octopus Fishing will be presented at today's get-together. This is, for now, just an idea of the Algarve research centre, which believes that the creation of a document of this nature would contribute to an increase in information and opinions on octopus fishing and «stirring up the discussion of all interested parties» . “It is not a closed document and can include new contributions at any time”, stresses the CCMar.
Basically, it is a matter of putting on paper what the Polvo Tertúlias have been. “At the gatherings, a very important step forward was taken. It is true that it is difficult to reach consensus, but it is also a fact that we have managed to bring together people who are really interested in better managing this resource. What we achieved was that there was dialogue between the participants and that an agreement was reached regarding some problems that the sector is facing and that directly affect people», said Mafalda Rangel.
For now, no new edition of this get-together is planned, but the possibility is not closed. The decision will be up to those attending today's session, as the program provides for the presentation of the possibility of continuing the initiative and discussion on this matter.
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